How to Land a Job at Asynchrony Solutions

In the last three years, Asynchrony Solutions, a rapidly growing St. Louis-based IT consulting company, has doubled its workforce, increasing the number of employees from 77 in 2010 to 140 at the beginning of 2013. Sandi St. John, the company’s senior manager for corporate recruiting, says that number will rise to 169 by the end of April, and that Asynchrony plans to add as many as 40 software developers by the end of the year. According to St. John, the company’s growth has been fueled in part by its competitive rates, its reputation and the explosion of mobile apps.

Still she faces a challenge: “Software developers are very hard to find,” she says. “So when we find them, we hire them.”

The bulk of Asynchrony’s employees are locals. Although the company’s hired workers from metro areas like Kansas City and Chicago, it doesn’t have a formal relocation package. Those situations are handled on a case-by-case situation.

St. John says the best fits are IT professionals, particularly software developers, who can work in a team environment and have a desire or aptitude for growth. “We are a very flat organization,” she explains. “We hire folks who are self-motivated and driven. Are you looking for a fancy office and fancy title? We’re not the place. Do you want to continue to grow with like-minded people and share information? Then we are the place.”

How to Read Their Job Postings

If you’re interested in working at Asynchrony, the company posts openings on Dice and its own website, and uses social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote them.

“Our postings are pretty standard,” says St. John. “If we say we’re looking for five years of Java development, then we’re looking for five years of Java development.” However, sometimes the company will consider applicants who fall short of the job requirements if they demonstrate they have the ability to learn.

Advice for Seasoned Professionals

The team approach is a critical piece of the Asynchrony culture, so be ready to demonstrate you collaborative skills. “Sometimes senior people can be a little bit arrogant,” St. John notes. “We have the attitude that nobody is better than anybody else. We look for people who want to work together in a team and want to continue to grow and learn with others.”

Though the company isn’t “the best paying team in town,” St. John admits, but “we have awesome benefits,” which include no-cost life insurance and no-cost disability insurance. The company also likes to hire people for the long term, she says, noting it’s only had one notable layoff. That was of 15 people in 2008, in the throes of the recession when downsizings were common. “If you’re willing to learn and go from project to project, Asynchrony is a very secure place to work,” she says.

Advice for Recent Grads

First, “be passionate about coding,” St. John says. “Be prepared to talk about technical questions and behavior questions. Get familiar with GIT and other source control tools. Advance your skills.” For people interested in Android, she points out that Google offers free online training.

“Find opportunities where you can go out and learn things and prove that you have the ability to learn whether you have professional experience,” she tells students and people looking for their first job. “It shows that you have the ability and the drive to learn.”